Close Encounters
by Shelly Red
Summary: A continuing saga of a DS romance.
1. Valentine's Night

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from GI Joe. Please don't sue. Feedback is welcomed and encouraged. Enjoy. 

It was Valentine's night. The auditorium was decorated in red, white, and pink streamers and balloons. The caterers had set up a nice buffet table, and the band was warming up. This was the first Valentine's Day ball authorized and approved by General Hawk. GI Joe initially started as a top- secret organization to divert COBRA and other terrorist actions, but one of COBRA's grand schemes left GI Joe in the public eye. General Hawk had to go on national TV to alert the citizens of America that their tax dollars were being wisely spent harboring an anti-terrorist special operations force that battled COBRA to keep everyone living in freedom. Now that everyone knew that they existed, their location was no longer secret. Therefore, after several team members hounded Hawk for a social gathering, he finally consented.

Hawk and Duke were overseeing all of the security functions of the night, and Scarlett and Lady Jaye, when Jaye was not too busy talking about love and Flint, were responsible for investigating all invited guests. All guests outside of GI Joe were required to send in their reservations so that a pass could be issued allowing them access to the evening's events. Even though all of the guests were girlfriends or wives of the team members, every precaution was being taken to insure that no COBRA spies were able to penetrate the Joe base.

Heightened security meant that more Joes were on active duty tonight. Normally, one set of eyes occupied the monitors in the control room, but tonight three sets of eyes were glued to the screens. Duke, Dial Tone, and Breaker kept vigil over the incoming gate. As all authorized guests were admitted, their special passes were scanned into the main computer database. Scarlett, also occupying the control room, ran background checks again on the issued access cards and guests to be sure that no tampering had occurred and that no information had changed since they were allowed access the week prior.

Several other men were placed at the entrances of certain areas of the actual base building so that no one could sneak into the heart of the Joe base. Among the men who were strategically placed around base, Leatherneck was placed directly outside of the control room door, just in case anyone slipped past the main entrance guards, which was highly unlikely since Stalker and Snake Eyes occupied that area. If any guest got "bored" and decided to wonder around the base, Alpine and Bazooka were stationed in the Motor Pool, and Gung Ho and Lift Ticket guarded the jet and helicopter hangers. Numerous MPs also patrolled the grounds. All of these men were to stay out of sight but would be a very unwelcomed surprise if some guest got "lost" or separated from her party. Of course, the Joe, who's date wondered off, would be in hot water with Duke or Hawk for about the next year.

"Well, it seems intelligence did a wonderful job investigating all of our guests," Duke said with a smile as he complimented Scarlett on a job well done. The stream of incoming guests had quieted, and the party had begun.

"I guess Lady Jaye and I outdid ourselves. So how about granting your favorite intelligence heroine an extra long weekend next month?" Scarlett said with a sly grin. She really wanted to go see her family in Atlanta for the St. Patrick's holiday.

"No, Lady Jaye hasn't been here long enough for time off to have accumulated." He mischievously grinned at her bewildered expression and then dodged an incoming swat aimed at his shoulder. He laughed, "Oh, you mean, you want the time off! Nah. Don't think so. I like having you around for the holidays. Everything seems to be more calm and quiet when you are manning your battle station." He continued to taunt her as Breaker and Dial Tone joined in Duke's laughter.

"You're so mean," she teasingly retorted. She diverted her attention back to her computer as a new party guest was being scanned into the system.

A few minutes later, she broached the subject again. "Oh, come on. Honest answer. I'm serious. I would really love to have a 5-day leave next month. I haven't seen my family since before the Joes were formed. And after my recent birthday party from hell, I couldn't imagine you denying me my request." She raised a challenging eyebrow to him.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, but if anything happens around here with you gone, it's on your shoulders," he lightheartedly warned her. He owed her this much and knew exactly what she was talking about. Last month, she had turned 25. The team had created a huge birthday celebration for her and labeled it "Red's Quarter of a Century" party. She had spent the night of her birthday as the guest of honor and hated all of the attention. She had begged and pleaded with Duke to make the team stop the party plans, or to have her kidnapped or anything to get out of it. Although Duke would have loved to kidnap her for himself, he had refused, and actually, ended up being the one dragging her to her own party. She had cursed him for a week after the party, but eventually, the party aftereffects died down, and the joking stopped. She had forgiven Duke but warned him to never let it happen again.

"Thank you." She leapt up and hugged him. Duke could see the sparkle in her eyes.

"You realize though that by taking this holiday off, you will have to work Thanksgiving and Christmas again," Duke threatened her.

"You are no fun, Grinch," she pouted, "but if those are your terms, then I accept them."

The radio was playing softly in the background. The room had gotten quiet all of a sudden, and Duke could hear the song on the radio. Duke stared at Scarlett as she finished running the last of the guest passes through her computer. She had directed a question of something over to Dial Tone and Breaker, and Duke could not believe her beauty. Even in her uniform with her hair pulled into a ponytail, she was stunning. If she only knew how much he wanted her, she would look over at him and call him a liar for denying his feelings and emotions for her all of this time. The lyrics to the song playing on the radio, "I'd Love You to Want Me", were so fitting. He had wanted her since the first time he saw her, but the military did not look kindly upon fraternization. He had an obligation to the military, and he was the Commanding Officer of GI Joe.

As that last verse played out, Scarlett looked over at Duke. Her blue eyes had a mysterious twinkle in them, which Duke had never seen before. Caught off guard by her glance, he nodded and smile at her. She returned the smile and continued with her work. It was just a look but...

Scarlett heard the song playing on the radio. She imagined her and Duke dancing to the song, swaying so closely to one another. Valentine's Day was for lovers and those in love, and just because she could not or had not acted on her love for him didn't stop her from dreaming about the two of them. She smiled to herself and listened to the words of the song. She remembered some of those close encounters that neither one of them would openly admit happened. She knew he cared for her as she cared for him, but there was so much on the line. She lost herself in a daydream, but then she had a feeling that someone was looking at her. She looked over to see Duke staring dreamily back at her. Yes, she was sure that there was something more between them then friendship, and she was not the only one dreaming of what the two of them could be doing.

The party was over, and all of the guests and team members had left the base, came on duty, or retired to their quarters. Dial Tone, Duke, and Scarlett were going over the last of the computer information and reports when Mainframe came to relieve them. Scarlett was tired so she told the guys goodnight and headed for her quarters. She was only in her bedroom a short time when she heard Flint and Lady Jaye come in. They were very loud, apparently not knowing that Scarlett was in her room or not caring. After they went into Jaye's room, the noise continued. Scarlett grabbed her sweats and left her quarters. She couldn't stay there and listen to them. Not that she would even want to listen to them, but she was tired. She had been working since this morning, and it was now almost midnight.

She wondered around base trying to decide where she was going to sleep. She came to Duke's door. This was going to be embarrassing, but she didn't know what else to do. On past occasions, she had gone to seek refuge at Ace and Wild Bill's place. The two flyboys were like brothers to her, but tonight, Ace had won a bet that allowed him full and uninterrupted access to their shared quarters with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Wild Bill had no choice but to leave the base with his girlfriend and head to town, not that a romantic night in a hotel room was a bad thing.

She knocked on Duke's door. The door opened and there he stood. He looked so handsome and muscular in that Army t-shirt and sweats. Stop it, she told herself. "Um...hi, sorry to bother you."

"Is everything okay?" Duke asked alarmed. He hadn't expected to see her standing there. She was biting her lower lip, meaning a sign of indecisiveness and uncertainty. She nodded, and he told her to come in.

"I'm sorry to bother you this late at night, but can I sleep on your couch? Lady Jaye and Flint are, um...well...um...and..." She looked so cute standing there trying not to look embarrassed, but her complexion was flushed and as red as her hair.

Duke was elated but tried to hide a smile. "I understand. Sure you can stay, but as you can see, my couch is under repairs. But you can sleep in my bed." Damn, that didn't come out right, he thought.

"No. I couldn't. I'll go sleep in my office. It's no problem." She quickly tried to hide her unease.

As she turned to go, Duke grabbed her arm and said, "You certainly will not sleep in your office. That's an order. I'll sleep on the floor. What kind of friend would I be to let you sleep in your office?"

"I can't let you sleep on your floor. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come." She tried to back away again, but Duke still held her arm. His touch was intoxicating, and...no, nothing was going to happen. She berated herself for putting both of them in this position.

Duke had never seen her so unsure of herself. She always radiated a calm demure and confidence.

"Nonsense. Come on. I don't bite; I don't have fleas."

"Well, I won't let you sleep on your floor."

"Listen, my bed is big enough for both of us. You can take one side, and I'll take the other side. I promise, I won't touch you. I'll behave myself." Although he wasn't exactly sure how he was going to manage to behave himself with this beautiful woman lying next to him.

She hesitated, apparently thinking of how they were going to pull this off. She was digging a hole for herself but realizing that there was no graceful way to bow out of this situation now, she said, "Hmm, okay, thank you."

Duke grabbed a few more pillows from the closet and tossed them on the bed. She took off her sweatshirt, revealing a dark blue tank top. Her long, fire-red hair cascaded down her back and shoulders. As she lay down on her side of the bed, Duke got in on the other side. He could do this; it just took a lot of self-control. No problem.

"Duke, thank you for this. I know it's a lot to ask of you. Umm..."

"Your very welcome. Don't say another word. I understand completely." He paused for a moment and then added, "If you want, I'll say something to Flint."

Horrified, she braced herself up on one arm, looked at him, and said, "Noooo, you can't do that."

Duke started to laugh uncontrollably. "I'm just kidding."

Scarlett swatted him with a pillow and then lay back down on the bed. "Goodnight, Conrad."

"Goodnight, sweet Shana. Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."


	2. The Day After

*Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from GI Joe or the characters or the events mentioned here.  
  
**Author's note: Follow up to "Valentine's Night". This is a transitional chapter so be patient. Somehow, I had to get from Chapter 1 to Chapter 3. Reviews?...Yes please.  
  
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The Day After - Chapter 2  
  
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The next morning, Duke woke up delighted to see this redheaded beauty still peacefully sleeping next to him. He had made it through the night without driving himself completely insane. Just the knowledge that she was mere inches from him all night had awakened all sorts of urges in his body. He knew he should not act on any of his desires, but it was getting harder and harder. One day, he would just throw protocol out the window, but only when the time was right between both of them. He knew last night had to be equally trying on her. They were both only human. Human needs and desires eventually overpower all rational and logic.  
  
He just stared at her and watched her sleep. He wanted to wipe her hair back from her face but was afraid that she would wake up at his touch. After all, he had promised her that he would not touch her. He tried to remember the last time he had been with a woman. It had been several, several years ago, but one thing was for certain. No woman would ever compared to Shana O'Hara, even if he never did get to touch her.  
  
Scarlett started to slowly wake up from her night's sleep. She had felt him stir and had this feeling that his piercing blue eyes were watching her. She opened her own blue eyes and rolled onto her back. She smiled up at him. "Morning."  
  
"Good morning. Did you sleep good?"  
  
"Yes. Thank you again. It was much more comfortable then my office would have been."  
  
Duke smiled. "I aim to please. Do you want breakfast? I can make us some pancakes."  
  
"That sounds good."  
  
She was trying to buy Flint and Lady Jaye time. They didn't have to be on duty until later in the morning, and she would rather not see them right now and wanted to bypass their questions. And there was something else, something deep inside her, that didn't want her to leave Duke's place, not yet. She didn't know why she had this feeling of overwhelming calmness whenever she was around him. He was so easy to talk too, and she felt so at ease around him. Hmm...  
  
Duke had gotten up and headed for the kitchen. Scarlett headed for the bathroom. She ran her fingers through her hair to try to brush out the tangles and splashed some water on her face.  
  
Duke was whistling in the kitchen as she came into the room. "Are you always this happy in the morning?"  
  
"Only when I get to make my famous pancakes for a lovely lady."  
  
She blushed, "Do you want me to make some coffee?" She had noticed that the coffee maker sat noiselessly in the corner. She didn't know how anyone could function in the morning without coffee. Even if an emergency mission came up during the night or early morning, there was always coffee brewing. Just one cup was all it took.  
  
He glanced over at her. "Sure, be my guest. I normally skip coffee until I hit the mess hall. I can make pancakes but not coffee. Go figure."  
  
She laughed. "Coffee is one thing that I can make and not screw up."  
  
"What a good team we make then," he replied with a smile.  
  
She returned his smile and got the coffee maker started, found some plates and cups, and set the table. It had been ages since she actually set the table for anyone. Probably, the last time that she was home with her family.  
  
She found the syrup and butter and placed them on the table, then watched him work in the kitchen. As she watched him, she remembered her father working in the kitchen. Her dad loved to cook. Well, she always assumed he loved to cook but didn't know for sure if he cooked because he loved it or out of necessity. Her oldest brother, Frank, had become a good cook, but the cooking gene had stopped there. Her other two brothers and herself were not very productive in the kitchen, other than making a mess. She attempted some light cooking every great once in a while, but normally would opt to brave the mess hall food or go into town with her friends.  
  
The pancakes were done, and Duke brought them to the table. Scarlett poured the coffee, and they sat down for breakfast. "Go ahead, dig in. Get 'em while they're hot." Duke instructed. He watched her as she took her first bite.  
  
"Mmm, these are good. How did you learn to become such a good cook?"  
  
"Good cook, I am not. I only cook breakfast foods and the occasional steak," he explained. "I watched my mom a lot in the kitchen. Breakfast was always a big meal for us. Most people had a big dinner at night, but since my dad worked the night beat, he would come home around 6 or 7 in the morning, and mom would always have a nice, big breakfast waiting for him." He was quiet for a moment, his thoughts, no doubt, traveling back in time.  
  
Scarlett knew that his father had been shot and killed while trying to stop an armed robbery in progress one night. She knew it must be hard on him. She didn't remember her mother enough to miss the things that she did. She knew there was a void there, and she felt the sorrow that her father and brothers felt, but she was so young when her mom died.  
  
She decided to change the subject to something less emotional. "So do you think Hawk will allow more 'social' events on base now that last night's went so smooth?"  
  
Duke returned from his trip down memory lane, "Hmm, I think so, or at least I don't think it will be as hard to try to convince him to let the guys have some fun and interaction. It is still such a security risk. You and Jaye did a lot of background checks on everyone, and Hawk and I spent countless hours coordinating all the security checkpoints. It did turn out nice though." He took a sip of his coffee. "Wow, this is good. How did you manage this?"  
  
"Dad always gave me 'coffee duty'. I'm glad you like it. Flint keeps trying to get me to teach Allie how to make coffee. I think it makes her mad, but she isn't any better in the kitchen then I am, so we are like two peas in a pod."  
  
They both laughed.  
  
An awkward silence crept in.  
  
Out of sheer curiosity, Duke asked, "Shana, not that you have to tell me and it's none of my business, but where do you normally go on nights like last night's 'excitement'?"  
  
She smiled, "Ace and Wild Bill's place." She watched his expression. "Don't get all protective on me or read anything into it. Ace and Bill are like brothers to me. I have known Ace since the Air Force, and Bill is such a kind and goodhearted person. I've only stayed there a few times, and it just so happened that the first night, Bill was coming back from a mission and took pity on me when he saw I was headed for my office. He told me that he and Ace had a sleeper sofa that would be a lot more comfortable than my office chair. Both of them extended the offer that if I ever needed a place to crash, their sofa was always available, except for last night."  
  
Duke laughed, "I heard about that bet."  
  
"You know Ace. He will bet on anything. He always has and always will, I suppose, unless he starts to become incredibly unlucky and starts to lose."  
  
"Well, just know that my place is always open too. Holidays or non holidays."  
  
"Thank you. By the way not to change the subject, but what happened to your sofa?"  
  
They began to clear the table and clean up the kitchen as Duke regaled his 'broken couch' story to Scarlett.  
  
"Let's just say that Gung-Ho and Leatherneck got into an argument over an official's call from the Super Bowl. Before I knew it, my couch was the weapon of choice. They both owe me a new couch. I told them I don't care how they come up with the money, but I want my couch replaced. I showed them the one I want. It's pretty expensive and not something I would ever buy, but then again, I'm not buying it. They are." Duke said with a devilish grin.  
  
"Why didn't you just give them latrine or KP duty? The guys always hate that."  
  
"That would have been too easy on them; I had to hit them where it hurts. They broke my couch! I suppose I was in a generous mood that night. My team was winning, I was getting a new couch, and I probably had enough beer in me to not think about what kind of cruel punishment I could hand out to benefit the Joe team."  
  
"I thought so. Alcohol and handing out cruel punishments do not go hand-in- hand," she joked.  
  
Suddenly, they were interrupted by Duke's beeper. He phoned the control room, and by the complete 180-mood change, Scarlett knew something was up. That something had to be COBRA. Duke hung up and informed her that COBRA activity had been picked up at random locations around the world. "Looks like snake breath and his snakelings were busy last night. Mainframe is calling all Joes on base to meet in the briefing room in fifteen." Duke had no more than utter the words than Scarlett's beeper went off.  
  
"Time for me to fly." She said as she grabbed her sweatshirt and beeper. "Thanks again for the...uh...place to crash. And breakfast."  
  
"Anytime. See you in a few."  
  
Scarlett darted out the door and ran smack into Flint as he was rounding the corner of the hall. Their collision sent Scarlett crashing hard into the wall. Flint helped her up as she shook off the aftereffects of the sudden body slam. He made sure that she was alright and was about to ask her what she was doing over here, when she interrupted him and said, "Don't ask," and she hurried off to her quarters. Somehow, this was not going to be a subject that Flint would drop anytime soon, provided that they all lived after what ever COBRA had planned. 


	3. Rumors

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from GI Joe. 

Reviews?...Of course.

Rumors - Chapter 3

The team returned to base after the brutal but victorious battle with COBRA. It had taken nearly a week to locate and decipher COBRA's plan. The Joe team had been sent to all corners of the globe to stop this maniac, but the final battle culminated at Snake Mountain, a dreadfully intricate place to get equipment and men to. After the hard fought week, it was luck that most team members only had minor injuries, and except for Ace and Lift Ticket, no one would have to spend the night in the infirmary.

Ace's SkyStriker had been shot down during the final battle at Snake Mountain and had crashed into Lift Ticket's Dragonfly before either of them could eject. Stalker and Gung-Ho had been trapped in a tank and suffered some minor cuts and bruises. Lady Jaye received a broken wrist from her battle with the Crimson Twins. Duke had a fracture down his left leg from a 20-foot fall from a catwalk that he and Leatherneck occupied. Leatherneck only had a minor sprain from the fall since Alpine and Bazooka cushioned his landing.

After Snake Eyes and Scarlett were prematurely shot down in the jungle surrounding Snake Mountain, they spent their time fighting Storm Shadow and Firefly repetitively. She was lucky to walk away in the end with a sword cut to the upper arm that would require stitches. Snake Eyes had a few scrapes and bruises from his various fights with the COBRA Ninjas. Later, she found herself being flung against a brick wall for the second time that week, leaving a nasty gash on her forehead. This time, a grenade had detonated, which sent Destro crashing into her and pushing her across the room into the wall. Destro had managed to use her as a shield against the hard impact of the wall, and had the gull to thank her for the soft landing as he retreated with the rest of the cowardly snakes when Major Bludd pushed the 'self-destruct' button. The mountain lair would self-destruct in 5 minutes. Not a lot of time to gather all the Joes and escape, but thanks to teamwork, everyone made it safely out of the mountain hideout and watched as the mountain imploded upon itself.

Doc and his staff got incredibly busy as the injured Joes returned to base. Many of the injured had retired to their quarters after Doc had patched them up, but there would be many aching bodies around base for the next several days. Doc was busy setting the casts for Lady Jaye's wrist and Duke's leg.

Scarlett's head was bandaged, and a neat row of stitches and bandages graced her arm from the sword wound. Flint approached her as she sat in the waiting room waiting for Lady Jaye and Duke to be released. "Hey Red. Looks like you've been using your head again."

"Funny. Ha ha. Where are all of your battle scars, Mister?"

"I guess I lucked out this time," he said but sounded almost remorseful that he didn't have a scratch or abrasion on him. "Well, since we have a little time, do you mind if you would let me in on you and Duke's little secret?" He said with an inquisitive look in his eye.

"What do you mean?" She asked him innocently.

"You know. The whole you coming out of Duke's room at 900 hrs the other morning."

"Oh, you mean our little collision. I was going to my place to change and meet at the briefing room. Just like the entire base," she replied nonchalantly.

He raised an eyebrow and said precisely, "You know what I'm talking about." He was not going to back down.

Scarlett knew that this would come up eventually. Obviously, he and Lady Jaye knew that she was not at her quarters, and the head on collision between herself and the Warrant Officer had surely peeked his curiosity, especially since it had happened right outside of Duke's quarters. "Look, don't read too much into it Flint. Nothing happened. I stayed at Duke's quarters that night because I needed a place to sleep."

"What was wrong with your bed?" he eyed her suspiciously.

Men were so dense. "How do I put this tactfully? I couldn't sleep at my place because there was too much...um...disturbance." She said as color rose to her cheeks.

"What disturbance? It was quiet and..." he stopped suddenly. Now, he was the one embarrassed. Quickly changing the subject, he said, "I think I better go check on Jaye and see how the rest of the injured are," and he hurriedly left the waiting room.

She chuckled to herself. The light finally went on in his thick head. He should have stopped while he was ahead.

"Howdy darling. You got a little banged up on the noggin, huh?" Wild Bill asked as he sauntered over to Scarlett.

"Yeah, little bump for my hard head."

The conversation continued and ended up with Bill telling Scarlett about the Valentine's dance. "Red, you should have been there. There were so many beautiful ladies there, but no one could have compared to you."

"Bill! You were not supposed to be checking out the other ladies. Wasn't Sonja your date? You were supposed to be only looking at her." She scolded him. Bill had a wondering eye, but he was harmless compared to the wondering eyes of Shipwreck and Clutch.

"Oh yeah, Sonja was fine." He remembered fondly the recent date with his girlfriend and then continued, "You know, I heard a rumor around base that you didn't sleep in your quarters on Valentine's night. Now, seeing that I know what the probable reason was, but who did you stay with since Ace had our place?"

"None of your business, Cowboy." Damn, she was going to kill Mainframe. Those computer guys can't keep their mouths shut. If anyone wants to know what is going on, go badger the guy (or gal) on duty in the control room. They see it all.

"Oh come on, Red. You have to tell me. I've given you sanctuary many a times. Let me in on the gossip. I was off base, remember."

"Fine." She may regret this, but he would keep harassing her until he got an answer. "I stayed with Duke, and no, nothing happened. Duke wouldn't let me stay in my office, and he was a perfect gentleman." She emphasized the 'perfect gentleman' part. God only knows what the new rumor would be.

"Well, I don't know about a gentleman, but at least he is a smart man. Never let a pretty lady sleep in her office."

She rolled her eyes at her friend's connotation and let the subject end. She didn't know what, if anything, was behind the rumors that she always heard regarding her and Duke. They were good friends – best friends, but she remembered the way that Duke stared at her on Valentine's night as they worked together in the control room. At first, the rumors unnerved her because they revolved around the only woman on base sleeping with her CO, of all people. Later, after Cover Girl and Lady Jaye joined the team, she just tried to ignore the rumors, but there was so many of them. How could she not pay attention to them? Some of them were just hearsay and some were speculation about events that actually happened with the assumption that more ensued. Were they reading too much into his actions or was she to unaware of her own feelings to notice them? Relationships were definitely not her strong suit. She had dismissed most of Duke's sentimental tendencies towards her as brotherly concern. They spent a lot of time together, on and off duty. It was very unusual to see one of them without the other. They were partners. They trained together, fought together, watched each other's back, and got each other out of jams. Maybe he had been keeping a much closer eye on her than she realized. Not that she hadn't watched him. He was handsome, strong, and charismatic. He certainly had qualities that attracted her to him.

The emergence of Lady Jaye and Flint into the waiting room brought Scarlett back to the present. She got up and went over to her friend. "How are you feeling?"

"Except for this annoying cast, just peachy." Lady Jaye retorted with an annoying huff. "It's only a broken wrist, but Doc put this cast all the way up my arm."

Flint interjected, "It is so you will not move your arm and take the chance of moving those broken wrist bones." Jaye shot him an evil look. She hated to be restricted, and an arm in a cast was a huge restriction.

"Come on Jaye, let's get you home," Flint said. "You coming, Red?"

"You guys go ahead. I'm going to wait for Duke."

Flint and Jaye gave her a knowing smile and started out of the room.

"It's not what you think," Scarlett yelled after them. She knew what they were thinking, but she didn't know if it was true or not. Somehow, she had the feeling that everyone around her knew what was going on but her. She sighed and returned to her chair.


	4. Something to Talk About

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from GI Joe. 

Author's Notes: Special thanks to SapphireMind for beta'ing this for me. (Twice – nonetheless. What can I say? Thanks a million. :)

Something to Talk About – Chapter 4

Wild Bill came out of the infirmary. "Ace and Lift Ticket are going to be okay. They have to stay the night and maybe a few more days. Doc hasn't decided yet. Ace has some darn right nasty broken ribs, and one of them scraped his lung a bit. He is going to be hurtin' the next time he flies."

"Flying and any injury don't mix well when you're in control of a fighter jet. How is Lift Ticket?" Scarlett asked.

"He took a hard hit to the ole noggin when he and Ace collided. I guess he has some kind of a concussion and a few minor burns. How are Jaye and Duke?"

"Flint just took Jaye home. She has a broken wrist and already complaining about the cast. Doc has immobilized her arm completely."

He gave a good-hearted laugh, "Good luck with that one. Glad I'm not her roommate. You may be staying with Duke more often then ya think."

Scarlett swatted Bill and said, "Knock it off, will you."

Bill was going to say something else, but then their fearless leader with the broken leg appeared in the doorway. He was on crutches, and trying to handle them was not a pretty sight. The team members in the room snickered as Duke struggled with the right combination of 'crutches then good leg' walk. Duke just glowered at everyone and muttered about having to learn to walk all over again.

Scarlett got up and joined Duke, "Come on Top, you think you can manhandle those back to your quarters."

Duke let out a low growl and admitted under his breath for her ears only that this was not as easy as it looks. "I'm just not going to use them. I can walk without them," he stated with the dignity that the team had come to expect from him.

"Hey, Hauser. If I see you without them, you will be on inactive duty for a lot longer than necessary," Doc warned from the doorway. "Scarlett, I'm counting on you to be sure he uses those. If anyone can keep him line, it's you."

"Gotcha Doc." She winked back at him and carted off her injured CO.

Although Duke was irritated at what Doc had said, it was the truth. The only person that could get close enough to him and make him use his crutches would be Scarlett.

They walked very slowly out of the base hospital and headed towards Duke's quarters. Duke was having a terrible time. Scarlett had been observing Duke's struggle with the crutches. "Duke, stop. You are working way to hard. Didn't Doc show you how to use these?" Duke looked over at her. Scarlett knew that he hadn't let anyone show him how to use them because that would injure his male ego. "Never mind, stupid question. Here, put the crutches in front of you then use your weight to swing your body between the crutches, and finish with your good leg." He placed the crutches ahead of him like she had explained, but he placed them way to far ahead, and almost fell when he tried to move his body forward. She caught him but couldn't contain her giggles.

"Okay, Red. If you are so smart, then you show me how to use them." He playfully snarled at her. His patience with these crutches was definitely wearing thin, but once again, just her presence made his mood tolerable. If anyone else had dared to patronize him, he would have probably hauled off and berated the poor soul.

"No, try again. Put them about a foot ahead of you, then try to move forward."

After a few awkward steps, he actually began to get the hang of it and started moving forward without looking foolish.

"See, it just takes a little patience to handle them," she teasingly retorted, knowing full well that patience was not one of his strong suits.

He retaliated to her teasing with a pull at her ponytail, which caused him to almost lose his balance. After he regained his composure, they continued towards his quarters. The silence was maddening so he asked her how many times she had been confined to using crutches.

"Twice. Once I fell out of a tree when I was 5 or 6 and broke my leg, and then a couple of years later, I tried to break a board in martial arts class with my foot, but I connected wrong with the board. Broken foot, hurt like hell. My brothers never let me live that down. 'Martial arts family has a daughter who broke her foot on a breaking board.' They don't understand that it was my first attempt at trying that particular move."

Duke laughed. He had never had any broken leg bones, just a broken arm and dislocated shoulders from falling or being thrown off his family's horses.

"Well, here we are. Home Sweet Home," Duke said, not wanting her to leave right away but not sure what else to say.

"Do you need anything while I'm here?" she asked. "Otherwise, I ought to go see how Jaye is doing. Flint may welcome the interruption this time. She can be a handful when she is..." She trailed off. "Duke, what are you doing?" She asked with bewilderment etched in her voice.

As she had been rambling on about leaving, Duke had backed her up against the door. He was now only inches from her. Her heart was racing. They studied each other's eyes. Duke reached out his hand towards her face and caressed her cheek while wiping some stray hairs out of her face. She caught her breath. His touch was so gentle, so comforting, so nice. "Conrad..."

"Shh." He placed a finger over her lips then moved in even closer. He had to be sure that this was what they both wanted. If he read her wrong, he would have single-handedly destroyed a trusting bond and friendship in the matter of mere seconds.

He moved his hand to her chin and tilted her head up towards his. He lowered his head to hers, and their lips met ever so gently then deepened into a more forceful kiss. Slowly their passions ignited and their lips parted to accommodate their probing tongues. Duke placed his other hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him, as she placed her hands on his waist.

As they slowly separated so that their breathless bodies could catch their breath, she looked into his blue eyes. They seemed to sparkle with happiness. She couldn't help suppress a smile that crept to her lips.

"I'm sorry if I was too bold. I just had to kiss you Shana. I've wanted to do that for a long time," he whispered.

"Don't be sorry. Kiss me again handsome."

She couldn't believe that she just courageously said that, but with an answer of "Yes Ma'am," he eagerly aimed to please and bent down to kiss her again. This second kiss left them even more breathless than the first kiss.

"I better go so you can get some rest and get off your feet." Scarlett said as she struggled to regain her breath and poise. She picked up Duke's fallen crutches and turned to head down the hallway.

"Hey, you can't leave yet. I need a good night kiss, maybe even tucked in for the night." He teased her.

She laughed and shook her head. "You're incorrigible."

As she placed the final pillow under his injured leg and was satisfied that it was elevated enough, she turned her attention back to the blond-haired, blue-eyed Commanding Officer grinning back at her. "Don't think I'm gonna wait on you hand and foot, Mr. Big Shot." She mischievously warned him.

"I don't know about that. You have to do what I tell you; I AM your CO," he shot back at her. He had been jealous that she and her team had been separated from him shortly after this long COBRA mission began. Not only because she was not with him, but also because Snake Eyes was on her estranged team. He grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her down to him. He wanted her to understand that his feelings for her were true. "Come here, I need another kiss."

This time, she submitted to his demand. As she got up to leave, her heart ached. She had not let her emotions consume her since she and Snake Eyes split so many years ago. She had sworn that she would never let anyone near her heart again. In fact, she had locked her heart and thrown away the key, but sometimes love is worth taking the chance on again. She said goodnight and left his quarters.

Outside his door, she leaned against it and touched her fingers to her lips remembering those glorious kisses and look of love in Duke's eyes. No other guy has been able to touch her inner soul like this in years, and this time she had a feeling that it was going to be different.

As she dreamily made her way back to her quarters, she thought about what had just happened between her and Duke. A lot of repercussions could result from this, but if they kept it quiet and just between them, things would work out okay. Wouldn't they?

As she let herself into her quarters, Flint was watching the news. He looked over at her as she entered the room. "Hey, what took you so long? Did you get sidetracked?"

She gave him a disapproving look and said, "No. Duke's on crutches, and he needed a little assistance to his place."

"I bet he did," he teased back at her.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. She was definitely not in the mood to argue or refute any rumors. She had been doing that all night. She simply said, "Flint, think whatever you want to."

Flint displayed a look of mock shock and said, "What? You're not going to argue with me. This is a first."

"And the last," she warned as she cast a look over her shoulder at the flamboyant Warrant Officer.

As Scarlett headed for her bedroom, she left him chortling to himself. She changed out of her uniform and took a nice, long shower. She wondered how long she was going to be able to keep her and Duke a secret from Jaye; or how long Duke was going to be able to keep Flint off his trail. She crawled into bed, exhausted but rejuvenated with a hint of a new beginning to her love life.


End file.
